Ahoy, Matey

This week’s tales come from the fault line of the Golden Age of Piracy — where fortune, politics, and survival collided.

A pirate pays off a governor with stolen Spanish silver.
A privateer captures a prize that seals his fate.
And a pirate hunter rescues a man long thought lost to the sea.

Episode 40 follows the moment when piracy stopped being just plunder and adventure — and became a gamble with consequences. Gold could buy silence… or a noose. One decision could turn a captain into a criminal. And survival, sometimes, had nothing to do with cannon or cutlass at all.

Set your course. These stories still echo.

This Week in Pirate History

⚔️ JANUARY 26, 1716

Henry Jennings Pays the Governor

This is the date you were thinking of — January 26, 1716 is the commonly cited year.

Henry Jennings dropped anchor in Jamaica not as a hunted criminal, but as a man still operating in the gray fog between legality and piracy.

Fresh from plundering the Spanish Treasure Fleet salvage camps in Florida (1715), Jennings arrived carrying enormous wealth — and more importantly, a share owed to power.

He delivered a portion of the stolen Spanish silver directly to Governor Nicholas Lawes (often misattributed to Hamilton in older tellings — Lawes was the acting authority), ensuring:

• Protection from prosecution

• Political cover

• A signal that piracy could still be “managed” rather than crushed

This moment matters because it shows how piracy survived

Not by defiance alone — but by bribery, influence, and complicity.

Jennings wasn’t hiding.
He was negotiating.

And Nassau would soon fill with men who learned the same lesson.

👑⚓ JANUARY 30, 1698

William Kidd Captures the Quedagh Merchant

On January 30, 1698, William Kidd captured the richly laden Armenian merchant ship Quedagh Merchant in the Indian Ocean.

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Kidd believed he was acting within the bounds of his commission:

• The ship carried French passes

• It was captained by an Englishman, but owned by foreign interests

• The cargo was immense — silks, gold, spices, and treasure

Kidd renamed the vessel Adventure Prize.

That single act sealed his fate.

What Kidd saw as a lawful capture, the Crown later branded piracy — not because the facts were clear, but because politics had shifted. Kidd became the perfect scapegoat: a privateer no longer useful, suddenly disposable.

One ship. One decision. One man sacrificed to calm the seas of empire.

🌊 FEBRUARY 1, 1709

Woodes Rogers Rescues a Forgotten Man

On February 1, 1709, Woodes Rogers made landfall at the Juan Fernández Islands and encountered a figure long thought dead:

Alexander Selkirk
(often mistakenly called Andrew Selkirk — easy slip, but the correct name is Alexander)

Selkirk had been marooned for over four years after a dispute with his captain. Alone, feral, clothed in goatskins, he had survived through ingenuity and stubborn will.

Rogers rescued him — and later recorded the account.

That story would go on to inspire Robinson Crusoe, and it stands as one of the rare moments where the pirate era gave us something almost hopeful:

Survival without plunder.
Humanity without flags.

🏴‍☠️ PLUNDER PICK OF THE WEEK

A Shipwreck Hoard — 58 Gold Coins Worth Fighting Over

Some treasures fit in a pocket.
Others demand armed guards and loyal men.

This week’s plunder is a shipwreck hoard of 58 gold coins, anchored by a remarkable 1707 Lima-minted 8 Escudos of King Philip V — imperial Spanish gold struck when empires rose and pirates prowled the sea lanes.

💰 Price: $85,000
⚠️ Status: Already sitting in two carts on Pirate Bay, I mean Ebay

Which means the race is already on.

⚓ WHY THIS HOARD MATTERS — THEN AND NOW

In the early 1700s, a haul like this could:

• Fund a voyage

• Buy a governor’s silence

• Or start a war between desperate men

Today, it carries a different kind of danger.

With gold prices surging and whispers of $6,000 an ounce on the horizon, hoards like this aren’t just history — they’re hard assets, and assets invite attention.

This isn’t one coin pulled from the deep.
It’s 58 pieces of concentrated wealth, the kind that once drew pirates like sharks — and would today require a heartie crew armed with cutlass and blunderbuss just to keep prying hands at bay.

🪙 GOLD FIT FOR KINGS… AND PIRATES

At the heart of the hoard sits the featured 1707 Lima 8 Escudos:

• 26.97 grams of gold

• Graded AU58

• Rare ISPANIAR variety

• Unusually round, boldly struck, and nearly untouched

Eight escudos — a true doubloon — was never small money. Multiply it by 58, and you’re staring at the kind of prize that once vanished ships, corrupted officials, and rewrote lives.

Not costume gold.
Not replica romance.
Imperial gold — multiplied, and suddenly very modern again.

⚠️ ACT FAST, MATEY

At $85,000, this hoard is for serious captains only. And with two buyers already circling, hesitation may cost you the prize.

👉 View the full hoard here (while it still floats):
https://www.ebay.com/itm/306125397318

Gold waits for no man —
and never has.

🏴‍☠️ FESTIVAL FORECAST

Whitby Pirate Festival — Smugglers’ Ball (UK)

📍 Whitby, England
📅 Friday, February 14, 2026
🎭 Venue: Eighteen 91
🎶 Music: The Amazing Fat Medicine
🔗 Learn more: https://whitbypiratefestival.co.uk/

Mark yer charts, me hearties — Whitby Pirate Festival is calling, and this time it’s an evening of silk coats, secret deals, and shadowy revelry.

As part of X Marks the Spot, the festival hosts its legendary Saturday Night Smugglers’ Ball, transforming Eighteen 91 into a den of elegant rogues and well-dressed villains. Expect a rousing blend of rock and reels from The Amazing Fat Medicine, guaranteed to keep boots pounding the deck until the early hours.

⚓ What to Expect:

• A proper posh pirate affair — break out yer finest coats, corsets, and contraband couture

• Live music to dance the night away

• Whitby Pirate Festival merchandise available for purchase

• A photo booth to immortalize your finest smuggler grin

• And best of all — proceeds help support and fund the Whitby Pirate Festival

Whether ye arrive as a polished privateer or a velvet-clad smuggler lord, this is one Valentine’s night best spent raising a glass, dancing with danger, and keeping secrets under candlelight.

If you find yourself anywhere near the Yorkshire coast this February —
this is the ball to attend.

☠️ Captain’s Log

That’s the watch, crew.

Gold has always tempted men to risk everything — reputation, loyalty, even freedom. Some pirates tried to balance between law and outlaw. Others were crushed when the tides turned. And a few, through stubborn grit alone, survived long enough to tell the tale.

As you sail onward this week, remember:
Fortune favors the bold — but history remembers the consequences.

Until the next tide, keep your powder dry, your crew loyal, and your eye on the horizon.

Fair winds and following seas,
Captain Blackquill

🗣️ SHARE THE SPOILS, MATEY

Know a landlubber who’d savor tales of treasure, ghost ships, and true pirate history? Don’t hoard the gold — recruit ’em to the crew.

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New voyages, bold stories, and rich plunder await those who sail with us.

⚓ SAIL WITH US ACROSS THE DIGITAL SEAS

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🎖️ THANKS FOR SAILING WITH THE CREW

We set sail every Friday, storm or shine — delivering pirate history, legends, and lore from across the seas.

Keep yer spyglass trained on the horizon,
rest when the winds allow,
and may your course be steady, your hold full, and your tales worth telling.

If ye stumble upon treasure, tall tales, or pirate lore worth sharing, send word to:
📧 [email protected]

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